Chicagoland book club: Naperville area AAUW

One thing to know about your book club: Our book club has been an activity offered to members of the Naperville Area Branch of the American Association of University Women for about 30 years. We take turns meeting in our homes, reviewing and discussing interesting books and eating fabulous desserts. New members are always welcome. For more information about joining AAUW and our book group, go to aauw-il.org/naperville. Being a part of this group has opened many doors for members in that we have discovered many books and topics that we may not have found on our own.

Worst excuse anyone's given for not reading an assigned book: We don't concern ourselves with whether or not someone has read the assigned book. We're just pleased that a member has come to the discussion because our bonds of friendship are strong.

Average time we actually spend talking about a book before conversation swerves off into politics and family issues: 45 minutes.

What books are next: We choose our selections for the entire year in May. This allows us the opportunity to borrow or buy the books. Books remaining on this year's list are "Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography" by Jean Baker, "The Good War: An Oral History of World War II" by Studs Terkel, "The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story" by Diane Ackerman and "The Longest Trip Home: A Memoir" by John Grogan.

Six books we loved: "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Gruen, "The Samurai's Garden: A Novel" by Tsukiyama, "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, "The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars" by Joel Glenn Brenner and "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel" by Lisa See.